'What sort of advert is this for Chesterfield?'

Michael Broomhead

A resident has told of his disgust after seeing a man passed out in the heart of Chesterfield - with a beer can by his side.

The above picture was taken at the grass verge in front of Chesterfield town hall on Sunday.

"How can we be a tourist-friendly town with scenes like this in the centre?" asked the concerned reader.

"The man was fine - he'd just passed out after drinking alcohol.

"I'm worried about the trouble caused by drugs and alcohol in the town centre."

Over the last year, the Derbyshire Times has published several stories exposing anti-social behaviour in a number of areas of Chesterfield - including outside the Crooked Spire, along Beetwell Street and around the town hall.

However, Inspector Dave Nicholls, the man in charge of the team which polices the town centre, has insisted anti-social behaviour is not out of control in the heart of Chesterfield.

He said: "We don't see it a lot.

"I'm not saying it doesn't happen but personally I don't believe it's a massive problem.

"Saying that, one incident of anti-social behaviour is one too many and we'll do all we can to tackle it.

"I want everyone to come here to enjoy this beautiful town and its facilities - but if you come here to create crime, we'll do everything we can to make sure you can't.

"If people do see someone committing a crime, it's so very important they tell us.

"Call police on 101 or report it at www.derbyshire.police.uk/contact-us/report-a-crime."